UC Davis Distinguished Professor Bruce D. Hammock, a prominent scientist in entomology, immunochemistry, and inflammation biology, died on January 5, 2026, at the age of 78. Hammock was known for his significant contributions to science over a career that spanned more than five decades.
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on August 13, 1947, Hammock completed his undergraduate degree in entomology at Louisiana State University in 1969 and earned his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1973. He joined the UC Riverside Department of Entomology as a faculty member in 1975 before moving to UC Davis in 1980. Despite offers from other institutions, he remained at UC Davis for the rest of his career.
Hammock published more than 1,500 peer-reviewed papers and collaborated with over 3,500 scientists worldwide. His work included pioneering studies on juvenile hormone biology and immunochemical biomarkers for environmental exposure. According to Professor Emerita Lynn Riddiford of the University of Washington: “Bruce Hammock’s early studies on juvenile hormone esterase [were] pivotal to our understanding of the normal degradation of juvenile hormone required for proper metamorphosis.”
His research also focused on soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), an enzyme involved in inflammation regulation. His laboratory determined the three-dimensional structure of sEH and developed inhibitors that advanced to human clinical trials for treating inflammation and neuropathic pain. One such inhibitor was credited with saving a horse suffering from severe neuropathic pain.
Hammock received numerous honors during his career. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1999 and named a UC Davis Distinguished Professor in 2003.
Colleagues described him as generous with ideas and time. “One of Bruce’s enduring legacies is his extraordinary contribution to science, documented in more than 1,500 peer-reviewed publications,” wrote Walter Leal, Distinguished Professor at UC Davis Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Hammock was also recognized as an outstanding teacher who inspired students through storytelling and mentorship. In describing his teaching style, Leal noted: “He would explain to students that Linus Pauling introduced the concept of the transition state, but he never mentioned that he himself carried the idea from theory into practical application.”
For those who worked with him directly or indirectly benefited from his research advances—including developments related to environmental health—his impact remains significant.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), which is affiliated with the University of California system https://ucanr.edu/, enhances lives across California by sharing science-based practices statewide through research centers and local offices operating throughout all counties https://ucanr.edu/. The organization maintains nine Research and Extension Centers serving as living laboratories across diverse ecosystems https://ucanr.edu/.
A celebration honoring Bruce D. Hammock’s life is planned by colleagues at UC Davis.
“He certainly would have been my first choice for that Riverside position!” said David L. Denlinger about Hammock’s appointment at UC Riverside years ago. Denlinger added that Hammock “had a knack for identifying major questions and for pursuing them with elegance.”
“Bruce was deeply conscientious about the broader implications of this discovery,” Leal wrote regarding Hammock’s work on sEH inhibitors’ therapeutic potential.
“For the 28,635 days he was on this Earth,” Leal concluded in his tribute published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), “the world was undeniably a better place for having Bruce Hammock in it.”
Further acknowledgments are available via PNAS at https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2601584123.